VP Sara affirms Philippines’ ‘strong links’ with Singapore leaders

MANILA – Singaporean President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met with Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, with whom they discussed the two countries’ “strong bilateral relations” and expressed willingness to work together on regional developments.

In separate Facebook posts, both officials said they were happy to meet with the Vice President, emphasizing the “strong economic, labour and defense links” between the Philippines and Singapore that are “underpinned by close people-to-people ties.”

Lee said their discussions also centered around the contributions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Singapore.

“Vice President Duterte and I had a good discussion on the positive trajectory of our bilateral cooperation, and the contributions of the Filipino community in Singapore to our society and economy,” he wrote.

“We also exchanged views on regional and international developments. I look forward to seeing Vice President Duterte in Singapore again soon,” the Prime Minister added.

Halimah, Singapore’s first female president and the first Malay head of government in 47 years, also welcomed Duterte. She posted a photo of their meeting.

Sharing that she last met with the Vice President in Davao City during a state visit in 2019, the Singaporean President said they took time to reaffirm the “warm friendship” between the two countries.

“We had a fruitful discussion about Vice President Duterte’s priorities during her term, as well as regional developments. Our bilateral relationship is anchored by strong people-to-people ties and multi-faceted cooperation across various sectors, such as healthcare and manpower,” she wrote.

Singapore was Duterte’s second stop after Brunei in her visits to Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) members as council president.

She went to the SEAMEO Regional Learning Centre (RELC), one of the projects of the organization to support language education.

In her meeting with Centre Director Susan Leong, Duterte expressed the goals of the center to provide scholarships to learners from the member-countries, and even hoped that the Philippines, where she’s Education chief, can also benefit from the scholarship programs.

The Vice President also met Catanduanes National of High School teacher Aileen Taopo Bajaro, one of the language education scholarship beneficiaries of SEAMEO RELC, there.

Duterte took the time to thank the Temasek Foundation, a philanthropic organization and investment company, for their help during the pandemic.

“Noong kasagsagan ng pandemya, nagbigay ang Temasek Foundation ng isang milyong surgical masks at mga high grade medical equipment sa Pilipinas (During the height of the pandemic, Temasek Foundation donated one million surgical masks and high grade medical equipment to the Philippines),” she wrote on Facebook.

In a meeting with Singapore Second Minister of Education and Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohamad Maliki Osman, the officials discussed various education woes, including the negative aspects of wearing face masks for learners.

Other topics they discussed are the importance of mental health protection, 21st century skills, and the role of parents in guiding learners in using new technologies.